Connie, Connie's mom, and Steven encounter gem mutants and need to fight them, but Connie's mom doesn't believe that her daughter has the ability to fight them, even though Connie has been training in swordfighting for a while now.
Opie and a man passing through Mayberry become friends. However, the man's free spirited tendencies start to rub off on Opie. Andy makes the decision to send the man on his way, to protect Opie and teach him the value of working hard, going to school, and respecting other people's property.